First Edition: Monday, Nov. 17, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Once A Patient’s In Custody, ICE Can Be At Hospital Bedsides — But Detainees Have Rights 
In July, federal immigration agents took Milagro Solis-Portillo to Glendale Memorial Hospital just outside Los Angeles after she suffered a medical emergency while being detained. They didn’t leave. For two weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractors sat guard in the hospital lobby 24 hours a day, working in shifts to monitor her movements, her attorney Ming Tanigawa-Lau said. (Boyd-Barrett, 11/17)

KFF Health News: FDA’s Plan To Boost Biosimilar Drugs Could Stall At The Patent Office
While the FDA is streamlining regulation of copycat versions of the expensive drugs that millions take for arthritis, cancer, and other diseases, the U.S. patent office is making it harder for the cheaper medicines to get on the market, industry officials say. (Allen, 11/17)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Untangle Issues Of Health Care Costs And Food Benefits
KFF Health News Southern California correspondent Claudia Boyd-Barrett discussed rising health care premiums on KPFA’s “Up Front” on Nov. 13. (11/15)

MEDICARE

Stat: Medicare Premiums To Jump 10% In 2026 
Most Medicare enrollees will face premiums that are 10% higher next year, creating budget anxiety for millions of seniors. Older adults and people with disabilities will pay almost $203 per month in 2026 for their Medicare Part B premium, the Trump administration said late Friday. That’s about 10% higher than the $185 per month that Medicare beneficiaries pay this year. (Herman, 11/14)

OPIOID CRISIS

The New York Times: Judge To Approve Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy, Releasing Billions For Opioid Plaintiffs
The drugmaker Purdue Pharma, which along with its owners came to symbolize greedy indifference to surging opioid overdose deaths, will soon cease to exist, after a bankruptcy judge said Friday that he would give final approval to a plan to settle thousands of lawsuits against the company. The agreement comes more than two decades after the first legal actions were filed against Purdue over its aggressive sales tactics and promotion of the opioid painkiller OxyContin as largely nonaddictive. (Hoffman, 11/14)

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Politico: Congress’ Obamacare Subsidy Vote Could Set Off State Scramble
The nation’s 20 state Obamacare exchanges appear poised to quickly update premiums if Congress passes a straightforward extension of enhanced subsidies when it votes on the matter next month. But there’s another, increasingly likely scenario that could catch them flat-footed. That’s if lawmakers decide to go a different route – for example, by paying the subsidies directly to consumers, a plan touted by President Donald Trump, or changing the eligibility rules by adding an income cap, which many conservatives would like to see. (King, 11/16)

MedPage Today: Do HSAs Make Insurance More Affordable? AMA Delegates Are Split On The Issue
Are health savings accounts (HSAs) a good way to make health insurance more affordable? And if so, should the funds currently being used to expand Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits be used to fund HSAs instead? Those are some of the questions members of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates were wrestling with Saturday during their interim meeting here. (Frieden, 11/16)

Asheville Watchdog: “There’s No Way”: Huge ACA Premium Hikes Force Buncombe Policyholders To Make Hard Choices, Including Dropping Coverage
Virginia Gilbert was shocked and angry after she learned last week that premiums for her Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance policy will more than double next year, jumping from $930 to $2,042. She was freshly outraged after U.S. senators reached an agreement this week to end the six-week government shutdown without securing an extension of enhanced premium tax credits for ACA-backed plans. (DeWitt, 11/15)

Politico: Trump’s Broadside Against Health Insurers Is A Cautionary Tale For Industry
Insurers and drug companies facing dire threats to their bottom lines this year from President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress had to make a choice: Stand and fight, or go to ground and cut some deals. Insurers fought in a bid to kill the threat; drugmakers cut deals to mitigate the damage. The early results are revealing. (Chu, 11/16)

The Washington Post: Cheap Health Insurance Plans Touted By Trump Lack Comprehensive Coverage
Robert Hays, an industrial electronics salesman in Arkansas, thought he’d purchased conventional medical insurance. So did Essie Nath, 67, a retired cafeteria worker in Wyoming. So did Martin Liz, 47, a Key West chef. Each enrolled in the kind of private health insurance that Trump administration officials have promoted as an alternative to plans sold under Obamacare. (Whoriskey, 11/15)

VACCINES

The Hill: Cassidy Defends Hepatitis B Vaccine, Cites Safety Record
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Sunday said he is “very concerned” about the possibility of changing the hepatitis B vaccine schedule for infants in the United States. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s panel of federal vaccine advisers is set to discuss and potentially vote on changing that vaccine schedule when they next meet on Dec. 4. On Sunday, Cassidy said he “was concerned” and that the vaccine and its ingredients, such as aluminum, which the panel is set to discuss, “have been shown to be safe.” (Limon, 11/16)

MedPage Today: AMA Delegates Consider Becoming 'Public-Facing Megaphone' On Vaccines
Should the American Medical Association (AMA) establish its own vaccine advisory committee or focus instead on restoring the original CDC committee? Members took up that debate during a small committee session at the AMA House of Delegates interim meeting. In June, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ousted all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with people whose vaccine skepticism aligned with his own. (Firth, 11/16)

The Baltimore Sun: Successful Bird Flu Vaccine Also Proves Effectiveness Of Nasal Delivery
A new vaccine to protect dairy and poultry workers from bird flu does not require a needle and works against multiple strains of the H5N1 virus, researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health said. Protection could be a quick squirt away. (Hille, 11/14)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

AP: South Carolina Senators To Debate Strict Abortion Proposal Tuesday
Sending women who get abortions to prison for decades. Outlawing IUDs. Sharply restricting in-vitro fertilization. These are the strictest abortion prohibitions and punishments in the nation being considered by South Carolina lawmakers, even as opponents of the procedure are divided over how far to go. The bill faces a long legislative path and uncertain prospects, even if it clears the state Senate subcommittee that’s reviewing it. (Collins, 11/16)

The 19th: Gen Z Men Do Care About Abortion, New Polling Finds
Gen Z men were more likely to change how abortion was likely to impact their vote after hearing from people affected by bans than older men, new polling found. (Luthra, 11/14)

NBC News: New Report Suggests More Pregnant Women Should Be Getting Treatment For Deadly Complication
Some medical centers are taking a dramatic step to save mothers and babies after studies have shown too many doctors fail to follow guidelines for preventing pre-eclampsia, a potentially deadly pregnancy complication. These hospitals now recommend that all of their pregnant patients take low-dose aspirin. Studies show the drug is safe and can help prevent pre-eclampsia, a condition characterized by high blood pressure, and other pregnancy dangers. (Cohen, 11/15)

AP: A Look At Nonhormonal Options For Menopause Symptoms
Shilpa Gajarawala struggled with hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems and brain fog. But given her history of breast cancer, treating these menopausal symptoms with hormone therapy wasn’t an option. “For two years, I tried to kind of power through,” said the 58-year-old physician assistant from Jacksonville, Florida. But doctors say women like Gajarawala don’t need to suffer. (Ungar, 11/15)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Los Angeles Times: UC Nurses Cancel Strike Plans After Reaching Deal With University
A planned labor strike by University of California nurses has been called off after the university system and the nurses’ union reached a tentative deal on pay and benefits, both groups announced Sunday. The four-year deal, between UC and the California Nurses Assn., covers some 25,000 registered nurses working across 19 UC facilities. The two groups had been bargaining over a new contract since June. (Rector, 11/16)

WLRN Public Media: South Florida Nurses Union Rallies In Hialeah For Better Pay, Patient Safety 
Unionized nurses at three South Florida hospitals rallied outside Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah on Friday morning for a new three-year contract, demanding more pay and better patient safety. The last contract expired Sept. 30 and current negotiations with Healthcare Services of America have since stalled, according to a statement from the nurses, who are members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee. (11/16)

Military.com: Trust Betrayed At Fort Hood: The Army Doctor Accused Of Recording His Patients
On October 17, 2025, the U.S. Army suspended Major Blaine McGraw, a gynecologist at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, after a patient accused him of secretly recording her during a gynecological exam. According to a lawsuit filed in Bell County under the pseudonym “Jane Doe,” McGraw allegedly pretended to take a phone call, placed his smartphone in his breast pocket, and filmed the patient while performing a pelvic and breast exam without consent. The civil complaint claims investigators later discovered thousands of photos and videos of women on his phone, including imagery taken at prior assignments. (Fuller, 11/16)

Modern Healthcare: Aetna Tones Down Medicare Advantage 'Downcoding' Policy
Aetna is dialing back a policy to “downcode” some hospital inpatient claims after facing pushback. The CVS Health subsidiary’s “level of severity inpatient payment policy” for its Medicare Advantage plans was due to take effect Saturday, but Aetna is pushing it back to Jan. 1 and reducing its scope, the insurer notified providers last Thursday. (Tepper, 11/14)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth's Remote Patient Monitoring Decision Shocks Industry
The future of remote patient monitoring just got murky. Starting Jan. 1, UnitedHealth, part of UnitedHealth Group, only will cover the use of remote patient monitoring devices for its commercial and Medicare members who have heart failure or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The insurer said RPM for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension not related to pregnancy was not clinically proven and would not be covered. (Perna, 11/14)

PHARMACEUTICALS

MedPage Today: GLP-1s Tied To Big Survival Advantage In Colon Cancer Patients
Patients with colon cancer and a history of treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists for obesity had a 5-year mortality rate that was less than half the rate for patients who didn't take these drugs, according to a large retrospective analysis. (Bankhead, 11/14)

The Washington Post: GLP-1 Weight-Loss Treatment Is Being Used For Alcohol And Drug Addiction
When Susan Akin first started injecting a coveted weight-loss drug early this year, the chaos in her brain quieted. The relentless cravings subsided — only they’d never been for food. The medication instead dulled her urges for the cocaine and alcohol that caused her to plow her car into a tree, spiral into psychosis and wind up admitted to a high-end addiction treatment center in Delray Beach, Florida. (Ovalle, 11/16)

AP: Lifelong Drugs Don't Solve Autoimmune Diseases. Researchers Are Trying Something New
Scientists are trying a revolutionary new approach to treat rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus and other devastating autoimmune diseases — by reprogramming patients’ out-of-whack immune systems. When your body’s immune cells attack you instead of protecting you, today’s treatments tamp down the friendly fire but they don’t fix what’s causing it. Patients face a lifetime of pricey pills, shots or infusions with some serious side effects — and too often the drugs aren’t enough to keep their disease in check. (Neergaard, 11/14)

Medical Xpress: One Of The World's Oldest Blood Pressure Drugs May Also Halt Aggressive Brain Tumor Growth
A Penn-led team has revealed how hydralazine, one of the world's oldest blood pressure drugs and a mainstay treatment for preeclampsia, works at the molecular level. In doing so, they made a surprising discovery—it can also halt the growth of aggressive brain tumors. Over the last 70 years, hydralazine has been an indispensable tool in medicine—a front-line defense against life-threatening high blood pressure, especially during pregnancy. But despite its essential role, a fundamental mystery has persisted: No one knows its "mechanism of action"—essentially how it works at a molecular level, which allows for improved efficacy, safety, and what it can treat. (Magubane, 11/16)

Chicago Tribune: Lifelong Drugs For Autoimmune Diseases Don’t Work Well. Now Scientists Are Trying Something New. 
Scientists are trying a revolutionary new approach to treat rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus and other devastating autoimmune diseases — by reprogramming patients’ out-of-whack immune systems. (Neergaard, 11/14)

STATE WATCH

Bloomberg: Judge Denies Texas Bid For Bar On Tylenol Marketing In State
A judge rejected for now a bid by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to bar Tylenol-maker Kenvue Inc. from marketing its over-the-counter pain medication as being safe for pregnant women within the state. After a hearing Friday, State District Judge LeAnn Rafferty denied Paxton’s request for a temporary restraining order, court records show. The attorney general sued Kenvue and its former parent Johnson & Johnson on Oct. 28, claiming they concealed the risks of autism and other disorders for children if mothers take Tylenol during pregnancy. (Mekelburg, Feeley, and Brown, 11/14)

Iowa Public Radio: Iowa's Prison Health Care System: Jobs Lost To Privatization 
The Iowa Department of Corrections announced Friday that it is no longer pursuing privatization of medical care in the state’s prisons, according to two current medical employees and Todd Copley, a local union president. (Delkamiller, 11/14)

North Carolina Health News: Eye Surgeon's Lawsuit Could Upend NC's Certificate Of Need Law 
A New Bern eye surgeon who is challenging North Carolina’s laws that cap the kinds of medical services, facilities and equipment that can be offered in geographic regions of the state will take his case back to court this week. Jay Singleton, owner of Singleton Vision Center has been fighting for five and a half years to upend how health care industries have done business in this state for nearly half a century. (Blythe, 11/17)

New Hampshire Public Radio: NH One Step Closer To Imposing Work Requirements For Medicaid Expansion Recipients 
New Hampshire is one step closer to imposing work requirements for Medicaid recipients, as a legislative committee this week approved amendments to the state’s expanded Medicaid program. But the plan moving ahead in the State House would go further than what the federal government has proposed. (11/14)

Politico: Health Insurer Horizon Settles With New Jersey For $100M Stemming From Health Care Overpayment Allegations
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin on Friday announced a $100 million settlement with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey claiming that the insurer fraudulently overcharged the state for health care on its public employee health plans. The announcement from Platkin stems from Horizon’s contract with the state to administer its multibillion-dollar public worker health insurance programs, which provides health insurance to around 750,000 New Jerseyans. (Han, 11/14)

AP: Victims Hospitalized As Oklahoma Town Cleans Up Ammonia Leak 
At least seven people remained hospitalized Friday from injuries they suffered from an ammonia leak in a small Oklahoma town as authorities focused on how the potentially deadly gas began spewing out of the tanker truck carrying it. The leak Wednesday night from a truck outside a hotel in Weatherford forced at least 500 to 600 people to evacuate their homes early Thursday while others were ordered to remain inside theirs for several hours. Firefighters went door-to-door to tell those who needed to leave. (Hanna and Hollingsworth, 11/14)

Chicago Tribune: Orland Park Facility Offers Free Services For Cancer Patients
Cancer patients in the south suburbs have a new ally as they face the reality of what it takes to try to beat the disease, thanks to a resource center that treats the whole patient. (Moore, 11/14)

AP: Fetterman Says He's Back Home After A Fall Put The Senator In The Hospital
Sen. John Fetterman says he has returned home to his family in Pennsylvania after being hospitalized due to what his office said was a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that caused him to feel light-headed and fall during an early morning walk Thursday. (11/16)

AP: Alice Wong, Disability Rights Activist And Author, Dead At Age 51
Alice Wong, a disability rights activist and author whose independence and writing inspired others, has died. She was 51. Wong died of an infection Friday at a hospital in San Francisco, said Sandy Ho, a close friend who has been in touch with Wong’s family. Ho called her friend a “luminary of the disability justice movement” who wanted a world in which people with disabilities, especially ones of marginalized demographics who were people of color, LGBTQ and immigrants, could live freely and have full autonomy over their lives and decisions. (11/16)

LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH

Phys.org: Speaking More Than One Language May Help The Brain Stay Younger
Speaking more than one language can slow down the brain's aging and lower risks linked to accelerated aging. In a new study, researchers analyzed the Biobehavioral Age Gap (BAG) —a person's biological age using health and lifestyle data, then compared it to their actual age—of over 80,000 participants aged 51–90 across 27 European countries. They found that people who speak only one language are twice as likely to experience accelerated aging compared to multilingual individuals. (Mondal, 11/15)

The Guardian: Dermatologists Criticise ‘Dystopian’ Skincare Products Aimed At Children
Dermatologists have criticised an actor’s new skincare brand, calling it “dystopian” for creating face masks for four-year-olds, warning that the beauty industry is now expanding its reach from teenagers to toddlers. It comes as a growing number of brands are moving into the children’s, teenage and young adult skincare market. In October, the first skincare brand developed for under-14s, Ever-eden, launched in the US. Superdrug has just created a range for those aged between 13 and 28. (Marsh, 11/16)